Marist Fire 0 – Solomon Warriors 2

Spotting their new uniform and also a new midfielder, in the form of Alick Maemae, Solomon Warriors were a picture of confidence going into the match. Their opponents were sure underdogs but a strong performance against Hana earlier in the week was something they could have used. The tempo of the match was reflective of the urgency for both clubs as one tried to pressure leaders Koloale and the other sought a way to escape the clutches of the wooden spoon. A free kick goes Marist Fire’s way after a foul by Hadisi Aengari in the opening minute but Joachim Waroi sends the ball high above the cross bar. This is followed by a close call for Solomon Warriors a few minutes later when Welshman Houkaraua brings down Bentley Nalangu in the box but the referee allows play to continue.Alick Maemae comes up with Solomon Warriors best shot of the opening minutes but it does not dip low enough to find the upper corner of the far post. His side is controlling possession but they are not able to translate that into goals as Dennis Ifunaoa sends another shot wide from the edge of the penalty box.Ifunaoa puts Solomon Warriors ahead after tapping home a cross from Carrol Kakate on the right in the 22nd minute. Their fans are happy with the goal and their confidence seems to be on the rise as they try to look for another opening through Kidstone Billy. Marist Fire miss another good scoring opportunity when Fred Bala crosses in from the left for Nalangu but Alfred Ali comes out to scoop up the ball before the striker’s boots could get to it and Solomon Warriors reset the counter attack. On the other end of the park Ifunaoa crosses for Kakate but the ball is too fast for him and goes out for a goal kick.Kakate increases Solomon Warriors’ lead to 2 – 0 right on halftime after beating the offside trap and picking up Billy’s pass behind the Marist Fire defenders before shooting past Navusu Kitu. Marist Fire players are not happy with the assistant referee claiming that Kakate was in the offside position when he received the ball. The first half was dominated by Solomon Warriors but they could only managed 2 goals but their opponents are in more dire straits after failing to register on the scoreboards at all. The second half would prove to be an uphill climb for them.Two minutes into the second half Marist Fire almost got their first goal of the game. A free kick was given to them on the left sideline and Waroi’s effort was good enough to trouble Ali but he got it under control for another good save from him. Marist Fire got another fine scoring chance when Primo Maeke breaks past Aengari (Hadisi) but his shot is well covered by Ali who advanced forward to narrow the striker’s options. Maeke had limited space to shoot and he was not helped by the absence of a supporting runner to his right who would have had the empty net to himself. Substitute Tigi Toata uses some fancy footwork to go past the Marist Fire defenders before shooting inside the penalty box but his shot only clips the cross bar. Kakate follows Toata’s attempt with a good chance of his own feinting to beat a defender before shooting but the ball goes just wide.Before Solomon Warriors could do further damage to their opponents the referee’s whistle concluded the game handing all 3 points to Telekom S-League runners up. Marist Fire are now almost certain to finish in seventh place after this result.

About SIFF

Football is officially recognised as the national sport in the Solomon Islands. With numerous competitions running year-round, the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) has a busy time ensuring the game continues to grow and develop. SIFF was founded in 1978 and became a full FIFA member in 1988 largely thanks to the late Alan Boso who saw the potential of Solomon Islands football. Since then the association has grown from strength to strength.